State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2020
U.S. ocean import activity from October 2020 through December 2020, from U.S. Customs bill of lading records.
Sourced from U.S. Customs bill of lading data · Updated monthly · Data through May 2026
Key findings
- U.S. ocean imports totaled 2,565,082 shipments in Q4 2020, up 1.2% versus Q3 2020.
- The highest-volume import category was Incomplete movements, assembled (HS 911012), with 45,389 shipments.
- The fastest-growing high-volume category was Toothbrushes, including dental-plate brushes (HS 960321), up 631.9% from the prior quarter to 14,835 shipments.
- CHINA was the largest origin country with 1,100,937 shipments — 42.9% of all U.S. ocean imports.
- The busiest U.S. port of entry was LOS ANGELES, CA, receiving 592,734 shipments.
- The largest importer by shipment count was IKEA SUPPLY AG, with 31,451 shipments.
Shipments
2,565,082
Containers
3,429,431
Quarter over quarter
+1.2%
vs Q3 2020
Year over year
N/A
not available — dataset begins Jan 2020
Monthly shipment volume
862,259October 2020
862,061November 2020
840,762December 2020
Top import categories
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete movements, assembled911012 | 45,389 | N/A |
| Other wooden furniture940360 | 24,086 | +16.6% |
| Furniture of plastics940370 | 18,928 | +5.9% |
| Lavatory seats and covers392220 | 18,518 | +18.8% |
| Parts of air conditioning machines, comprising a motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity, including those machines in which the humidity cannot be separately regulated841590 | 15,931 | -10.0% |
| Not knitted or crocheted, of cotton630492 | 15,095 | +0.7% |
| HS 940140940140 | 15,026 | +4.7% |
| Toothbrushes, including dental-plate brushes960321 | 14,835 | +631.9% |
| Roofing tiles, chimney pots, cowls, chimney liners, architectural ornaments and other ceramic constructional goods, roofing tiles690510 | 14,709 | -10.2% |
| Other seats, with wooden frames, upholstered940161 | 14,569 | +8.7% |
Fastest growing
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| Toothbrushes, including dental-plate brushes960321 | 14,835 | +631.9% |
| Parts of electromechanical domestic appliances, with self-contained electric motor, other than vacuum cleaners of heading 8508850990 | 6,297 | +109.8% |
| Pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed (with meat or other substances) or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni, other pasta190230 | 10,425 | +89.4% |
| HS 950320950320 | 8,731 | +69.9% |
| Parts suitable for use solely or principally with the engines of heading 8407 or 8408, other840999 | 4,975 | +48.8% |
Steepest declines
| Product (HS code) | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| HS 871419871419 | 2,991 | -60.5% |
| Other glassware, other701399 | 4,205 | -53.4% |
| Machinery for making or repairing footwear845320 | 4,597 | -52.3% |
| Lifejackets and lifebelts630720 | 3,232 | -43.5% |
| Articles of apparel and clothing accessories430310 | 3,984 | -42.7% |
Among categories with at least 1,000 shipments this quarter and 500 the prior quarter, across the 100 highest-volume HS codes.
Top origin countries
| Country | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| CHINA | 1,100,937 | +3.0% |
| GERMANY | 116,996 | -10.2% |
| INDIA | 101,820 | +7.0% |
| REPUBLIC OF KOREA | 97,923 | +20.4% |
| VIET NAM | 86,800 | -1.5% |
| ITALY | 85,272 | -6.1% |
| TAIWAN | 78,189 | +3.7% |
| JAPAN | 68,133 | +2.4% |
| BELGIUM | 51,169 | -10.3% |
| MEXICO | 46,858 | +7.8% |
Busiest U.S. ports
| Port of entry | Shipments | QoQ |
|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES, CA | 592,734 | -0.8% |
| NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA, NEWARK, NJ | 439,290 | -2.1% |
| LONG BEACH, CA | 431,934 | +2.5% |
| SAVANNAH, GA | 138,579 | +1.6% |
| HOUSTON, TX | 134,663 | +5.8% |
| TACOMA, WA | 108,579 | +4.6% |
| CHARLESTON, SC | 98,561 | -2.5% |
| NORFOLK, VA | 91,508 | +0.6% |
| MIAMI, FL | 75,793 | +4.0% |
| SEATTLE, WA | 72,616 | -0.8% |
Largest importers
| Importer | Shipments |
|---|---|
| IKEA SUPPLY AG | 31,451 |
| DOLE FRESH FRUIT COMPANY | 12,407 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INC | 10,179 |
| 3PL LOGISTICS INC | 9,755 |
| LG ELECTRONICS USA | 7,975 |
| WALMART INC | 6,457 |
| ROOMS TO GO | 5,917 |
| AT HOME PROCUREMENT INC | 3,678 |
| WAL MART INC | 3,667 |
| SOL GROUP | 3,134 |
Largest suppliers
| Supplier | Shipments |
|---|---|
| WANG ZHANG JIANG JIAANDA | 75,428 |
| WENXUAN HE | 43,205 |
| SHENZHEN ANSERX INTERNATIONAL | 22,058 |
| JENNY | 17,271 |
| LG ELECTRONICS INC | 10,370 |
| HONGHAI SUPPLY CHAIN NO | 9,904 |
| MR LEE | 9,319 |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 7,778 |
| SHENZHEN KISHENGDA NETWORK | 6,898 |
| THAI SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD | 4,440 |
Methodology & citation
Figures are counts of U.S. Customs bill of lading records for ocean freight arriving at U.S. ports between October 2020 and December 2020. Product categories are 6-digit Harmonized System subheadings. Quarter-over-quarter compares Q3 2020, year-over-year compares Q4 2019. Shipment counts are records, not TEU or customs value.
This report is free to cite with attribution: “ImportDoor, State of U.S. Imports: Q4 2020 — U.S. Customs bill of lading data”, linked to this page.